there's no doubt that Metamorphosen can be approached for its sheer beauty. In that regard I’ve never heard a previous recording that so clarified all the string lines. By comparison with the utmost transparency heard here, my older recordings sound congested.

Järvi’s version of Zarathustra strikes me as one of the finest ever, a recording to stand alongside those of Reiner, Karajan and Previn. The performance of the opening ‘Sunrise’ makes such an impact that I initially wondered whether the rest of the piece might sound anticlimactic in comparison, but Järvi sustains the intensity through to the end…. The eloquence of the orchestra’s strings also makes a strong impression in Metamorphosen.